THE COUNTDOWN: It’s 57 days until the Iowa caucuses, on Jan. 3.
IN IOWA THIS WEEK
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a front-runner with Herman Cain in the latest Iowa Poll, visits Giese Manufacturing in Dubuque and Iowa American Water Co. in Davenport today, Monday continuing his business-centric campaign focus.

Then, what better way to spend a Saturday evening than watching another debate? CBS News and the National Journal will host this one, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. Focus is to be national security. The same eight candidates are expected, according to charlotteobserver.com.

Note: Candidates frequently announce visits on short notice. Keep up to date on where you can see the candidates by checking our candidate calendar at Des Moines Register.com/caucus, or use our Iowa caucuses iPhone app.

QUOTABLE
If you were a guest singer on American Idol, what song would you sing? Asked of Rick Santorum by the Register Tuesday as part of its “Five questions” interview series with the presidential candidates.

“I would probably sing the Penn State fight song. It is the only one I know.”
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAILNo, she didn’t mean that banana republic
In an economic policy address at Iowa State University on Thursday, Michele Bachmann accused Washington politicians of operating the nation like a banana republic — and she didn’t mean the one at Valley West Mall.

“We are not a banana republic; we should stop acting like a banana republic,” Bachmann told a crowd of ISU students.

The fruit polity Bachmann was referring to is the one found in political science textbooks: a country whose government is dominated by business interests and exploited for private profits. Bachmann believes that “crony capitalism,” in which politicians squelch competition for their friends and guarantee bad business bets with taxpayer dollars, has turned the U.S. into a banana republic. She cites the 2008 bank bailout and 2009 stimulus as examples.

— Jason Noble

CAMPAIGN WHO’S WHO

Jake Braunger, 24, Sioux City.

Title: Field representative in northwest Iowa for former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum.

What he does: He’s building a grass-roots campaign organization, recruiting and managing volunteers.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science, Iowa State University. Master’s degree in international studies, University of Denver.

Why politics? “I have been interested in politics from a very early age. My parents were interested in politics, and I can remember watching a debate with George Bush Sr., Bill Clinton and Ross Perot.”